Their eyes met. Iris wasn’t sure which one of them was more surprised. She’d hardly realized what she was going to say until the words were out.

“Of course,” Richard replied. What else could he say, right there in front of Mrs. Hopkins?

“I’ll fetch my spencer,” Iris said, taking a step toward the door. Spring was still a chilly season this far north.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?”

She turned.

He made a motion toward the sideboard. “Breakfast?”

“Oh.” She felt her face flush. “Of course. How silly of me.” She walked back to the food and took a plate, nearly jumping when she felt Richard’s breath near her ear.

“Should I be worried that my presence turns you off your food?”

She stiffened. Now he was flirting with her? “Excuse me,” she said. He was blocking the sausages.

He stepped aside. “Do you ride?”

“Not well,” she admitted. And then, just because she was feeling peevish, she asked, “Do you?”

He drew back, his eyes startled. And vexed. More vexed than startled. “Of course.”

She smiled to herself as she took a seat. Nothing got to a gentleman quite like an insult to his horsemanship.

“You needn’t wait with me,” she said, cutting her sausage with surgical precision. She was trying so hard to appear normal, not that he knew her well enough to know what was normal. But still, it was a matter of pride.

He slid into the seat across from her. “I am at your disposal.”

“Are you?” she murmured, wishing that such a comment did not make her pulse race.

“Indeed. I was about to leave when I saw you. Now I have nothing to do but wait.”

Iris glanced at him as she spread jam on her toast. He was sprawled in his chair in a most informal manner, leaning back with the lazy grace of a natural athlete.

“I should bring gifts,” she said, the idea coming to her rather suddenly.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Gifts. For the tenants. I don’t know, baskets of food or some such. Don’t you think?”

He took a second or two to ponder that, then said, “You’re right. It never even occurred to me.”

“Well, to be fair, you weren’t planning to have me accompany you today.”

He nodded, smiling at her as she lifted her toast to her mouth.

She froze. “Is something wrong?”

“Why would something be wrong?”

“You’re smiling at me.”

“I’m not allowed to?”

“No, I—Oh, for heaven’s sake,” she muttered under her breath. “Never mind.”

He waved this off. “Consider it forgotten.”

But he was still smiling at her.

It made her very uneasy.

“Did you sleep well?” he asked.

Really? He was going to ask her that?

“Iris?”

“As well as can be expected,” she answered. As soon as she found her voice.

“That doesn’t sound very promising.”

She shrugged. “It’s a strange room.”